


Bittersweet

by braindrain



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drabble, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 18:37:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7652329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/braindrain/pseuds/braindrain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College doesn't start as smooth as Jaebum had hoped with the obnoxious exchange student Jackson as his roommate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bittersweet

It's been two weeks. Two weeks since Jaebum started college. Two weeks since he started sharing rooms with that irksome exchange student. He never thought he'd miss home this much. His family, his friends, and most of all... His kitten.   
Luckily, previously mentioned exchange student has made some english speaking friends, finally leaving Jaebum alone. Atleast now he could study in peace. Pale fingers walks across the desk and picks up a pencil. He calmly leans over and rests his head at his free hand. No matter how much he stares at the words on the sheet below, even though he's freed from his tedious roommate, he just can't seem to concentrate. A heavy sigh leaves his lips. As his peaceful study time passes by, the pen finds no other purpose than scratching the back of his neck. Normally, this wouldn't have been a distressing situation. Normally, he could just take a break. Play some DS, read a book, call his parents... No, this is very precious and rarely found time, not one second worth wasting. Yet, here he is, wasting such precious time thinking of the very person who originally caused this kind of distress. _Good job, Jaebum. You would almost think you have a crush on the guy._ He quickly reassures himself and any possible mind readers outside the dorm that it isn't true. Why would it be? There's just something really odd about him, besides his preposterous behaviour.   
Jaebum finally puts the pen down and leans back in his chair. He lets out another sigh and leans his head back far enough to see his roommates bed. Atleast he tamed him well, its neatly made and everything. Of course there's still various electronics and unwashed underwear lying around, but he can't stay mad at every little thing. Staying mad is very tiring, he learned. He finally turns his chair around and accepts the shameful fact that he once again wanted a proper look at his roommates stuff. The corresponding space Jaebum uses to store books, is instead packed with atleast 15 neatly organized snapbacks. Why would any person use so many hats? Jaebum has a few, but this is absurd. As it's only been two weeks since move in, his walls are mostly empty besides some Hong Kongese newspaper articles about his fencing. He's never told Jaebum about this himself, but he hopelessly tried to read them several times to see if he's any good. He actually looks good in the photos. Good at fencing, he tells himself and clears his throat. The sudden sound of the doorhandle pulled makes him spin his chair around so fast it gives his roommate a rather troubled expression. The exchange student who's still in the doorway is prepared to get yelled at, but before allowing that, he opens his mouth first.  
" _Hi_ , I tried walking inside as carefully as I could..." He softly defends himself, eyes wide, lips shut tight. He's right, Jaebum wouldn't have noticed him if he truly was studying. _Good job._  
"Whatever, it's not like I could concentrate anyways." Jaebum replies and buries his hands in black messy hair. "Come in, Jackson." His voice sounds tired. He is tired.  
Jackson enters as quietly as promised and sits down on his bed. He takes off his snapback and throws it on top of his other ones, making it easier to properly lie down. He does so and grabs the signed baseball Jaebum's so terribly jealous of. Jaebum sends glances at him while pretending to study, seeing him stiffly playing with the baseball by himself. Why is he even here? He's not even doing anything... _Ah, give him a break, Jaebum. It's only been five minutes..._ Suddenly, Jackson decides to speak and he does so very carefully.  
"So... _Bad day?_ " He gives him a questioning look.   
Jaebum doesn't look back.  
"Yeah."   
"Do you... want talk about it?"  
"No."  
It's quiet again. Jackson is staring at the roof and Jaebum starts to count the words on his worksheet. He can't help but wonder if something is different today. Maybe he has taken it too far? Has he been too cold towards his roommate? Scolding him too much? He groans under his breath and scratches his head frustatedly. _Yeah, that's right. All of this time, Jackson has just tried to relax and make friends. Who could blame him? Should I just leave him alone?_ He opens his mouth to say something meaningful but Jackson is quicker.  
"You could just take it slow, _you know?_ Studying isn't all there is..."   
Jaebum has to think for a minute, not sure if Jackson is trying to comfort him or upset him. He finally turns around to properly read his expression. He's looking as innocent as he possibly could, which strangely causes Jaebum to frown. _This is it. This is the godawful feeling he gives me._ Jackson seems to have noticed his roommates terrible expression and quickly sits up.  
" _No, no, no!_ I don't mean that!" He opens his mouth several times before actually explaining himself. "I'm just saying, _okay?_ I used to be obsessed with studying and trust me, you don't want that." His body language is sincere, but also really hard to take seriously.  
 _Hmm._ Jaebum is quiet. Too quiet. During these two weeks, there were two things he failed to realize. Firstly, he isn't obsessed with studying, he's just been using it as an excuse to stay mad at Jackson. Maybe he just needs someone to emit his unwanted feelings on, or maybe there's something else. Secondly, there's probably a reason why Jackson is the way he is and that Jaebum knows nearly nothing about him. All this time he's been turning down Jacksons numerous attempts to get to know each other better. All this time, Jackson has been trying hard to be encouraging and kind towards his roommate. _Ahh, crap. Time to save this, Jaebum._  
"Really? I wouldn't have thought." He does his best to actually sound friendly this time.   
Jackson slightly raises his eyebrows and his eyes opens wide. Jaebum often thinks that some of his facial expressions comes directly from a manhwa.   
"You don't like me, _right?_ " Jackson suddenly asks, apparently not as oblivious as Jaebum had assumed. Jaebum is just preparing himself to tell a lie when his phone calls. Dark eyes gives his roommate a tired look before digging after his phone in his back pocket. Jackson decides it's best to just sit and wait as Jaebum answers the phone.  
"Hey, mom. -Something's up with Nora?"   
Jackson can't help but wonder who Nora is. A sister? Girlfriend? As the conversation goes by, he's as confused as ever. He decides to ignore it for now and tries to find something in their cramped room to look at.  
"Ahh, crap! -No, mom... Crap isn't a swear word... - Yeah. I'll do something about it. - What? No, I don't know... Something. I'll be there." Jaebum hangs up and his expression is a lot worse than when he first answered. Jackson seems to notice, but he doesn't bother explaining. Completely forgotten about the question, he excuses himself.  
"It's Friday night. Go out or something. Okay? Give yourself a good time, you deserve it." There's a lack of enthusiasm in his voice and he leaves his chair to put on a jacket.  
" _Okay._ But where are you going?" The way Jackson seems genuinely concerned for him pisses him off once again. Don't give me those eyes.  
"Nowhere." Jaebum glares at him. "Bye."  
He nearly slams the door shut and Jackson doesn't leave his spot all night.

A couple of hours later Jaebum finds himself at the parking lot outside the dorms. A distressed sigh leaves his lips. It's cold and dark outside, but the kitty resting in his arms doesn't seem to care. Somehow, he expected this would happen sooner or later. These two last weeks she'd stayed at home, at his grandparents house and sometimes at his friends house. No one really had the time for her, it's no wonder she suddenly became homeless. But is this really the right thing? Earlier he just acted on impulse. Just taking the tiny siamese in his arms and begged for a ride back to campus. Alone, panting in the chilly night air, he realizes it might've not been the best idea. As it obviously is strictly against the rules to have pets in the dorm, Jaebum has no other choice but to shove the little fluffball in his jacket.   
"Sorry, my girl." He whispers and makes his way towards the front doors. Night guards are already on place and he takes a moment to inspect the suspiciousness level of his current appearance. It's so obvious. He's so obvious. There's only one thing left to do now, he groans at the very thought of it. Nora starts making distressed noises and he could as well take her out as he runs around the building. Finding the right window is more difficult than expected but it should be left open unless Jackson closed it. Just thinking about it, he spots their window and it's indeed still open. _Fucking genious, Jaebum. Piece of cake._  
The following experience was so surreal he lost his sense of reality for a second. There he was, halfway through the window with Nora in his arms, making a complete fool of himself right in front of his roommate. Jackson, still sitting on his bed like a few hours before, just stares at him speechless. Jaebum can't even move. He's stuck with one leg outside until Jackson gives him some sort of reaction. _What kind of situation is this? Why didn't he leave? How should I explain myself?_ He slowly breaks out in cold sweat as the tension only gets worse and then... Nora meows. Jackson screams, hell breaks loose.  
"WHAT?!" Jaebum screams back. Still stuck in the window he glares at Jackson with furious eyes open wide until he calms down. He slowly releases Nora and gets inside, trying his best not to unleash his anger on Jackson.  
"It's a kitten!" Jackson exclaims. _Thank you, captain obvious._ His shocked expression seems plastered on his face and Jaebum is too irked to even care. He closes the window and kneels down to pat Noras head. He'll get through this, somehow.   
"Don't say a word." He responds in a determined tone and doesn't bother looking at him. Jackson gets intimidated enough, but jumps off his bed to take a look at the little siamese. Once again hearing the kittens small little meows his expression lightens up and he suddenly seems more excited than shocked.  
"This isn't allowed, isn't it?" He asks, a smile creeping up his lips, "Is this Nora? _She's adorable!_ "  
Jaebum frowns at the unwanted comments but feels somehow relieved at his reaction.   
"Yeah, she's my baby. If you want to keep her safe, keep your mouth shut about this." The tone of his voice doesn't change. He feels like an idiot for trusting Jackson with something like this, but what can he do? "You're my only hope now, don't screw this up, man."  
Jackson gestures to his mouth as if he's pulling a zipper. They both sit down on the floor and play with her for a while. It's such a strange situation. None of them says a word. It's not the usual silence that lurks in their dorm, it's a peaceful one. Somehow it's as if they've gotten closer through this. He has so many things to say, but no ways to word them and he's not sure if he's willing to open up about those things just yet. He finally looks at Jackson to see if he's thinking the same and notices he's struggling with trying to say something. _Let it out, friend, it better be good._  
" _I just... I mean..._ You have a fluffy little kitten! Did you just call her your _baby_? Are you the same Jaebum I know?! _Amazing!_ "   
Jaebum honestly didn't expect such a mocking comment. For a moment, he forgot this is Jackson. How could he have any higher hopes? He just emotionlessly smiles at him, wanting to punch him all the way back to Hong Kong. Jackson smiles back but his eyes are full of fear. _Good._ Suddenly, Jaebum just can't help it and his smile turns genuine. He leans over to ruffle his roommates hair before speaking his mind.  
"Just shut your mouth, alright."   
Staying mad is a tiring thing. Maybe Jackson was sent here to test him. A challenge? A curse? However, there's a feeling of relief. As if he's finally realizing a lot of things about himself thanks to this guy. Instead of trying to come up with strategies on how to get rid of him, he actually wants to get closer to him. He wants to know more, he wants to know why the way he smiles and laughs bothers his heart the way it does. _But seriously, fuck that guy._  
"Hey, Jackson." Hearing his name brings his attention away from Nora for a second. He looks at Jaebum in an unfamiliar way and quietly nods.  
"Thanks."  
"For what?"  
"For putting up with me."  
 _Let's get closer from now on, should we? Be good to him, Jaebum, and this year could be a good one after all._


End file.
